Kaguya's breathing grew faintly uneven, yet her voice remained unnervingly firm—as if she were telling Black Zetsu, and declaring to herself:
"As long as we reach the God Tree… everything will be fine."
While fleeing, her hand instinctively rested on her swollen abdomen. A flicker of complicated emotion passed through her pale eyes, only to be swallowed by deeper resolve.
Black Zetsu never left her side, calmly executing its role as escort and guide.
Kaguya ran through the rugged forest paths, the burden of her pregnancy and the near-total depletion of her chakra making each breath burn.
Despite Black Zetsu's directions, the pursuing soldiers clung to her like parasites, drawing ever closer.
She cast a glance over her shoulder with her Byakugan and instantly understood why.
At the very front of the forces from the Land of That stood a familiar yet chilling figure—
Her husband, Tenji.
He was pointing in the direction of her escape, urgently saying something to the commander of the invading army.
He had guessed her destination.
And he had chosen the most complete form of betrayal—personally leading them there in exchange for his own safety… and perhaps the illusion of "saving" his country.
A frigid killing intent surged up from Kaguya's heart, nearly solidifying into something tangible.
But she forcibly suppressed it.
Now was not the time.
Fixing her gaze on the distant silhouette of the towering God Tree, she pushed herself faster, even as her lungs felt aflame.
There was still time. There had to be.
As long as she reached the God Tree—
"Heh." Tsunade crossed her arms and let out an undisguised, mocking laugh. "This is what men are like. Cowardly. Selfish. When it matters most, not only can't they protect their wife and child—they personally shove them into the abyss. Afraid she might escape, he even leads the way to capture her. Pathetic."
Standing beside her, Jiraiya flushed red and white in embarrassment, scratching the back of his head as if wanting to protest that not all men were like that.
But faced with such naked cowardice, any defense felt hollow.
He coughed awkwardly and muttered, "This Tenji… really is disgraceful."
Deep underground, Black Zetsu stared fixedly at the lone white figure fleeing within the Heavenly Curtain.
At first, its gaze carried a profound nostalgia spanning a thousand years.
But that nostalgia was quickly drowned by overwhelming killing intent—cold enough to freeze the soul.
"Lowly insect… wretched native…"
Its hoarse voice echoed within the cavern, dripping with venom.
"To dare force Mother like this… to make her wear that expression… Tenji… and all who stand in her way… should be utterly crushed."
Yet beneath the boiling hatred, there remained a cold clarity.
It knew the Heavenly Curtain's depiction was not entirely accurate.
And still—it enraged it beyond measure.
After all—
It was her son.
Not some pet.
Within the projection—
Seeing the pursuers gaining ground, Black Zetsu urged anxiously, "Mother, I'll hold them off! Run!"
As she ran, Kaguya answered between breaths, "You have no real power—you can't stop them. Frighten them. Delay them!"
Black Zetsu instantly sank into the ground.
Moments later, it began harassing the pursuers from all directions—shaking shrubs, casting grotesque shadows, emitting eerie sounds from unseen corners. Confusion spread through the ranks, slowing their advance.
Seizing the precious window of time, Kaguya staggered yet resolutely toward the God Tree.
Tenji, shielded within the center of the formation, watched the strange disturbances with a pale face. His fear only deepened.
At last, Kaguya stumbled beneath the immense trunk of the God Tree.
Behind her, the chaotic sounds of boots, clashing metal, and Tenji's voice—mingled with panic and hollow urgency—closed in to within a hundred meters.
"Kaguya! Don't do anything foolish! Come back with me! We can still negotiate!" Tenji shouted through the trees.
Leaning against the vast trunk that pulsed with ancient, boundless chakra, Kaguya breathed heavily.
Her body had never felt so weak. The vibrant pulse of the child within her contrasted cruelly with the near-emptiness of her own chakra reserves. She could barely stand.
Yet when she touched the God Tree—its primordial, shared origin resonating with her bloodline—a deep instinctual reassurance rose within her.
Now…
She was safe.
She did not answer Tenji immediately.
Instead, she slowly turned her head.
Across the short distance, she clearly saw his expression.
It was not worry for his wife's safety.
Not concern for their child's future.
It was fear. Frustration. Anxiety that the situation had spiraled beyond his control.
He feared her losing control as something inhuman.
He feared failing to answer to the Land of That.
He feared losing his throne. His life.
At their feet and around them, Black Zetsu continued its desperate harassment.
It darted from the earth to trip soldiers, shrieked from the shadows, coalesced into indistinct, terrifying shapes.
But after the initial panic, the trained soldiers realized the creature possessed no true offensive power. It was mostly bluster.
They began driving it back with weapons, stomping at it, even attempting to capture the "strange little thing" with mocking grins.
Black Zetsu's interference grew weaker.
The pursuers were now only dozens of meters away—close enough to see the tense, vicious expressions on their faces and the cold gleam of steel in their hands.
Kaguya hesitated no longer.
Nor did she spare another thought for what lay behind her.
She turned sharply and pressed her pale palm firmly against the rough bark of the God Tree.
She reached out—not with words, but with the resonance of Ōtsutsuki blood—calling upon the God Tree she had planted and nurtured.
In the next instant, a sight unfolded that none of the pursuers—including Tenji—would ever forget.
A gentle, sacred white radiance bloomed from the point where Kaguya touched the tree, swiftly enveloping her entire body.
The light was not blinding, yet it carried an indescribable majesty and purity.
Lifted by that glow, Kaguya's body slowly rose from the ground, floating into the air.
Her long white hair drifted without wind, shimmering in the radiance. The curve of her pregnant form was faintly visible within the halo.
"Ka… Kaguya…"
Tenji's mouth fell open. He stood rooted in place.
Shock. Horror. Disbelief.
Perhaps even a trace of belated regret.
But above all—
A complete collapse of everything he thought he understood.
Only now did he truly comprehend what kind of being he had married.
And what kind of existence he had chosen to abandon.
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